Join us as we begin a 6-week worship series on Brian McLaren's book, "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World." This series helps to answer the questions, Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own? How can we stand in solidarity with "the other" as Jesus did and cultivate empathy and humility?

This first week, Pastor David focuses on Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome. The two main Christian identities is one that responds negatively to other religions - we love them in spite of their religious identity and one that is accommodating - we love them in spite of our own religious identity. Brian McLaren suggests a third Christian identity: "Christian identity moves us toward people of other faith traditions not in spite of their non-Christian identity and not in spite of our own Christian identity, but because of our identity as followers of God in the way of Jesus.”

Brian McLaren asks in his book, “Can’t all religions walk as companions and allies along the spiritual path, together bringing shalom to a weary and war-torn world?” To illustrate that, our Worship Visuals Team chose peace cranes as a visual symbol of hospitality and peace.

The peace cranes in our sanctuary are on loan from the Los Altos United Methodist church of California. The three large linked ropes of cranes in the banner spots and in front of the pulpit are a gift from a congregant’s brother-in-law’s brother, who has an art school in Japan. His Japanese students folded 1000 cranes as a peace gift to send across the Pacific to the church in California.

If you are not familiar with the story of the Peace Cranes in Japanese culture, please take a few moments to watch the video linked below. May the Peace Cranes be a reminder that reconciliation and hospitality can rise above hostility, in and through all people and faiths of our world.